Unresolved Conflict
by ZiggyAwesome99
Summary: This was written before Steven Bomb 6 had been blessed upon us. Yes I know all of the facts aren't straight but it works better this way. Anyway ENJOY! All was quiet in beach city and yet you could feel the tension throughout the - now - ghost town. People had started disappearing about a month ago. It started off as one or two but eventually became entire families.


All was quiet in beach city and yet you could feel the tension throughout the - now - ghost town. People had started disappearing about a month ago. It started off as one or two but eventually became entire families. All that remained were the three who sought refuge in the gem temple - Connie, Greg, and of course, Steven. The diamonds were the only explanation. The crystal gems had tried to fight back but suffered greatly for their actions.

Pearl had been thrown back into being a slave and was given to a group of torturous jaspers. Amethyst had managed to escape Homeworld's grasp but there was no word from her yet. And Garnet…well she wouldn't be around for a long time. In one of Homeworld's attacks, Ruby and Sapphire were separated. Sapphire was shattered before Ruby could reform. Since that day she had become a war machine, blaming herself for not protecting the main reason she fought.

With Sapphire gone, the resistance had become near impossible. The attacks became endless and randomized, and with no way of predicting them, the destruction expanded. All that remained were Ruby, Lapis, Peridot and the three human refugees. Even with years of training there had been close calls. Both Steven and Connie were covered in scars, bruises, and even a broken bone or two. And yet, they manage to keep a smile. The two lay next to each other talking about TV shows or books and just enjoy the time that they have together.

It was the day after Homeworld's most recent attack. The two youngest of the group lay asleep, freshly bandaged and quickly running out of clothes without holes in them. Greg sat staring blankly out of the window, his hair recently reduced due to stray attacks. His vision wandered from the two gems standing stationed by the warp pad to the illustrated embodiment of the one who started all of this. The picture of Rose had been moved due to it constantly falling when enemy forces pushed themselves against the outer wall.

Greg had never asked questions about Rose's past as to avoid tearing old scars. He now, as he looked to the carnage outside, regretted that decision. Of course he had trusted her but that doesn't mean he didn't have questions. Maybe even more than Steven. Stress had been piling up rapidly, it stole his sleep and soon, his sanity. The only shred of anything that kept Greg going was the two children who lay above him. They need him to stay strong and sure. After Connie's parents were taken she had turned straight to Steven and Greg.

It wasn't fair. The fate of the world shouldn't rest on the shoulders of two kids. Guilt had built up as battles raged on. Greg had slowly realized that he wasn't able to help as much as he had hoped. All he could do was tend to their wounds and make sure that the walls didn't crumble around them. Greg leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes - hoping for some rest. It was that day that Homeworld launched a full attack. It was the day life on Earth ended.

No gem went to waste. Every solider they had left charged towards the temple. Ruby had been stationed on the front stairs. It was her war cry that made Greg's eyes snap open. He rushed to his feet and looked up to the bed to see his glimpses of hope jump down. They sprinted to the door, snatching up their weapons on the way through. The remaining two gems followed suit. Greg ran further into the temple searching for the one thing he knew he could do.

Glancing over his shoulder he saw Stevonnie charging into battle on the faithful pink lion. As the sounds of war picked back up, Greg searched desperately. Rose's weaponry had been raided and brought to the temple. There it stood in the far corner - the Quartizine Trio. An explosion rocked the building as he dragged the legendary cannons towards the front door. The building and all of its possessions shook as the battle rang out the shore.

Greg set the trio against the railing. Aiming straight down the middle of the enemy troops, straight at a dropship. As the cannons charged, he looked out upon the battle. To his left, Ruby had been cornered but was still fighting. On the right, Lapis hovered above the enemy and suddenly dove down as Peridot's gem fell to the ground. As the cannons reached their final stage, Stevonnie was knocked from Lion. Their forms fell away from each other.

A foot planted itself between Connie's shoulders and pressed her face into the ground. And in a sick twist of fate, a familiar pink sword was raised and plunged into her back. Steven screamed as the figure laughed manically, shaking her pink curls over her shoulders. Greg's vision had locked onto the scene and his body froze. Not even the screaming of the cannons could knock him out of his state of shock. He watched as the streams of light knocked out thousands of gems, barely missing his son and annihilating the dropship on the other side of the battle.

Greg's body moved on its own. He sprinted down the stairs, dodging through soldiers. His eyes remained trained on Steven, watching him stand and look up at his opponent. Gem shards cut Greg's feet as he ran towards the boy who launched himself towards the quartz soldier. She grabbed Steven by the neck and held him up. Her hand hovering over his gem was all Greg saw before a stray Jasper cut in front of his path, falling from a higher ledge.

As their form disappeared, Greg looked up to see Steven laying on the ground, blood covering both children. In the hand of the enemy sat the one reason this whole mess had started. Greg ran to his son's lifeless form and held him close. The remaining crystal gems closed in on their position. Lion jumped over Greg's kneeling form and ripped the quartz's gems out of her form. Homeworld's army closed in. The rebels were surrounded, it was all over. The last thing Greg heard was the unsheathing of swords and the shattering of gems. It was over, they had lost.

Garnet's eyes snapped open. There she stood in front of her - the leader of the rebellion and her renegade Pearl. She took her hand and spent the rest of her days trying to avoid the future that was ahead of them.


End file.
